Real Sociedad will be bidding to bounce back from their Copa del Rey semi-final disappointment when they resume their La Liga campaign away to Sevilla on Saturday afternoon.
The visitors lost on penalties to Mallorca in the final four of the cup on Wednesday, while Sevilla will enter the match off the back of a 1-0 loss to division leaders Real Madrid in Spain's top flight.
Match preview
Sevilla's four-game unbeaten run in all competitions came to an end against Real Madrid last time out, with Luka Modric coming off the bench to decide the contest in the 81st minute.
It was another promising performance from Quique Sanchez Flores's side, though, and it does appear that a corner has been turned, with the team beating Atletico Madrid and drawing away to Valencia ahead of the narrow loss at Bernabeu.
Sevilla are by no means enjoying a successful season, currently sitting 15th in the table, but they are now six points clear of the bottom three and just one point behind 14th-placed Rayo Vallecano.
Los Nervionenses finished 12th in La Liga last term, which proved to be their lowest final position since being relegated in 1999-2000, and it has been a struggle again this season, but the team have some winnable fixtures to come, facing relegation-threatened Almeria and Celta Vigo in their two after this one.
The Europa League holders have lost each of their last three league games against Real Sociedad, with their last success over the Basque outfit proving to be a 2-1 victory back in April 2021.
Indeed, Real Sociedad are unbeaten in their last five La Liga games with Sevilla, including a 2-1 victory when the two sides locked horns for the reverse fixture earlier this season.
Imanol Alguacil's side are in worrying form, though, losing four of their last five in all competitions, while they have only managed to win one of their last eight, which was a 2-1 success at Mallorca in La Liga on February 18.
Real Sociedad's participation in three competitions appears to have caught up with them, and they lost on penalties to Mallorca in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey on Wednesday evening; the tie was level at 1-1 after both legs of the last-four clash, and it was Mallorca that triumphed in the shootout.
The Basque outfit also suffered a 2-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League clash, so they face a huge battle to qualify for the next round, with the second leg of the contest set to take place in San Sebastian on March 5.
Real Sociedad have lost two of their last three in the league, meanwhile, including a 3-1 defeat at home to Villarreal last time out, and they currently sit seventh in the table, two points behind sixth-placed Real Betis in the race to qualify for Europe next term.
Team News
Sevilla will again be without the services of Joan Jordan, Erik Lamela, Lucien Agoume, Marcao and Dodi Lukebakio, while Marcos Acuna, Mariano Diaz and Nemanja Gudelj are fitness doubts.
The home side will also be unable to call upon either Lucas Ocampos and Djibril Sow, as the pair are suspended after picking up milestone yellow cards against Real Madrid last time out.
Juanlu Sanchez and Suso could be the players to replace Ocampos and Sow this weekend, with a 5-3-2 formation set to again include Isaac Romero alongside Youssef En-Nesyri in the final third.
As for Real Sociedad, Alvaro Odriozola, Martin Merquelanz, Aihen Munoz and Carlos Fernandez remain out, while Aritz Elustondo is a doubt due to a groin problem.
Head coach Alguacil will need to monitor the fitness of the players who were involved in the 120 minutes against Mallorca, although there were six changes over the course of the match.
There are expected to be changes from the side that started on Wednesday, with Sheraldo Becker, Mikel Oyarzabal and Kieran Tierney in line for positions in the XI.
Sevilla possible starting lineup:
Nyland; Navas, Bade, Ramos, Salas, Sanchez; Torres, Soumare, Suso; Romero, En-Nesyri
Real Sociedad possible starting lineup:
Remiro; Traore, Zubeldia, Le Normand, Tierney; B Mendez, Zubimendi, Merino; Kubo, Becker, Oyarzabal
We say: Sevilla 1-1 Real Sociedad
Sevilla have been inconsistent at home this season, picking up just 14 points from 13 matches, while Real Sociedad have the fourth-best away record in Spain's top flight this term.
We came close to siding with Sevilla in this one, but Real Sociedad will be determined to bounce back from their Copa del Rey disappointment, and we can see the points being shared on Saturday.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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